1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to research and medical devices, more specifically to a sliding and vibrating microtome for sectioning large diameter tissue specimens.
2. Background Art
Much of the modern research and medical examinations require biological samples for analysis. These samples are typically furnished by microtomes that make very thin slices or sections of tissue specimens, usually in μm, to be prepared on a slide. For best results, the sliced samples should have uniform thickness and minimal or no surface irregularities. Otherwise, any of these types of irregularities could potentially lead to, inter alia, difficult comparative studies between samples from the same specimen and poor imaging.
Various microtomes have been in existence for sectioning samples. Some utilize a blade mounted on a sliding carriage to slice or section off a sample from an extruded specimen embedded in a gel substrate, e.g., agarose. Others utilize a vibrating blade, i.e., a vibratome, to perform the same. A common issue with these microtomes is that most cannot accommodate large specimens without compromising the quality of the sections. Either the design limitations of the prior microtomes necessitate specimen samples to be small and/or the cutting mechanism cannot insure uniform thickness of the sliced sample or prevent undulations of the sliced surface if the specimen is too large, the latter being more prevalent with vibratory blades having oscillations in more than one plane or in a non-parallel plane with respect to the cutting plane.
Another issue is that most microtomes include a cryostat or refrigeration unit to keep the specimen cold as required for certain specimens and the required analysis. However, if a large specimen is to be sectioned, then the refrigeration unit must be sized or configured accordingly which may increase the cost and maintenance for the unit. The inclusion of a refrigeration unit alone incurs substantial costs especially since they have to be meticulously controlled and monitored. In light of the above, it would be a benefit in the art of research devices to provide a microtome that can section large diameter specimens with consistent quality and relative economy.
Thus, a microtome solving the aforementioned problems is desired.